In 2013, the Ministerial Programme attracted more than 600 government and regulatory representatives from 143 delegations, including 69 government ministers and 85 regulatory authority heads, as well as 60 representatives from international institutions. More than 500 senior representatives of the mobile industry also participated, including 130 CEOs.
Once again, the event provided attendees with excellent opportunities to engage and discuss telecommunication policy with government and industry leaders. The Leadership Summit explored the critical economic, investment and innovation issues facing the mobile industry. Through a series of high-level keynote addresses and interactive panel discussions, the Government Mobile Forum addressed the growing demand for mobile broadband and the need for timely and affordable spectrum access. It also discussed the evolving economic model for the mobile ecosystem.
This year saw the expansion of the regional summits, which highlighted the challenges of mobile evolution and showcased the achievements of governments and the industry in deploying mobile services that promote regional socio-economic development. The two new additions included Middle East and North Africa and Small Islands Developing States & Remote Communities, which successfully complemented the existing Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific summits. The thematic workshop series presented key topics through interactive panel discussions and presentations which included Spectrum, mHealth, mEducation, Privacy and Electromagnetic fields.
The GSMA’s Government Mobile Excellence Awards were expanded to recognise world-class leadership in the establishment of sound telecommunications regulatory policies and practices that support transparency, competition and regulatory independence. The winners of the three categories were:
· Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award: Government of New Zealand
· Mobile for Development Award: U.S. Agency for International Development
· m-Government Award: Government of Moldova
Watch the video below for more highlights or download speaker presentations, summary notes and photos at www.ministerialprogramme.com.